


Crossroads

by thingsishouldntbedoing - discontinued (arminoni)



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Crossover, Crossover Star Wars, Fluff, M/M, Romance, Space Opera
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-13
Updated: 2014-01-25
Packaged: 2018-01-01 10:11:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1043588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arminoni/pseuds/thingsishouldntbedoing%20-%20discontinued
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>[Star Wars AU] Levi could remember the first time he’d ever heard of Eren Jaeger. The first time someone had mentioned the term ‘chosen’ to him. At that time he never he realized he would play a greater part in deciding the outcome of the war between light and dark than any one man should. All because of one boy who held the power to decide the fate of them all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [this](http://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=39637057).

**cross·roads**  
Noun /krôsˌrōdz/  
1\. A point at which a crucial decision must be made that will have far-reaching consequences. 

 

* * *

 

He braced himself against the wall of the starship, desperate for purchase as the next impact sent them rolling. The artificial gravity had shut down just minutes before and he was forced to use momentum to keep moving against the crowd of passengers rushing to the ejection pods. “This way!” He called through the pressurized air, gripping a safety rail as he directed them. “Padawan take them--” he looked to find him, blue eyes flickering over the place where he’d been only moments before. “Padawan?” He jerked his head around to look back against where people were hurriedly entering the gravitational pull he’d created, using his control of the Force to secure walking surface. “Padawan! Eren!” _I have to keep the innocents safe_ … He knew his oath. He also knew Eren was reckless.

“We’re secure! Get in!” A yeoman called to the Jedi clinging to the wall of the ship.

“No! Not without my Padawan! Go! There is still one more!” Another impact sent him reeling and he crashed into the wall of the secured room, sending waves of pain through his skull. “Eren!” He braced his knees against the wall and shoved himself with all his might, hearing the pod doors close behind him. He caught a handle and braced his feet, blood trickling into his eyes as he ripped the door open and glided through it, stomach turning in the weightlessness. Blood floated in clumps like suspended rain and his fingers sought the security of his saber, hurrying to find where the boy could have gone to. “Eren!” He was no longer afraid of the pirates, not with the innocents safe. He would rip them to shreds if they harmed his Padawan.

He could feel him now, sense his presence as his fingers reached through the fabric of the Force, but what he found there had him running; attracting his feet to the ground the way he had for the others. “Eren!” He ran past floating bodies, saber ready. “Pada--” A chill overcame him as the Force crackled, energy shuddering.

The boy’s back was to him, tan robes flapping in the waves of energy pouring off his fingers as he reached for the door before him. It had been scorched and slashed by his saber but was too thick to destroy, too heavily fortified to waste time on unlocking.

“Eren!” He said his name again as glistening cracks appeared around where his hand touched the air. “Eren stop! What are you doing!?” He reached for him, grimacing at the waves and clutching the fabric of his coat. _This again?_

“We’re supposed to be Jedi right! I can’t leave that little girl here!” Eren said. “I HAVE TO SAVE HER!” The door folded under his touch, shattering into pieces along the fault lines Eren had created.

The moments after that were still a blur to him-- of blood and gore and Eren’s anger flooding off him in waves. He hadn’t been aware of how much anger one person could contain until he’d met Eren Jaeger. Nor had he been aware that anger could be channelled so effectively in defense of a small Togruta that cowered in the corner from her captors as they were massacred by this powerful force of a human being.

There was a mix of admiration and fear in his chest as his padawan turned to look at him, blood smeared on his face and a flicker of anger still in his bright green eyes. His saber burned out of existence and for a moment it was silent in the cabin except for the girl sobbing softly in the corner.

There would always be respect in Eren’s green eyes and for that Levi was thankful… and he supposed that this time the boy’s disobedience had saved a life; if it meant taking many others. _He’s really become strong_. He searched his face and wondered how they’d gotten to this point.

How had the bratty boy he’d known on Tatooine become this willful young man that perhaps took the Jedi Code more lightly than he should? Or was it Levi who had forgotten what the code really meant? Protecting the innocent at all costs…

 

* * *

 

Levi could remember the first time he’d ever heard of him. The first time someone had mentioned the term ‘chosen’ to him. It had been his Master, Erwin Smith, the tall and imposing Jedi Master that was a little reckless and unpredictable but none-the-less respected in the Order.

“You must be crazy, seeking out some kid on a rumor,” he hurried along beside his mentor as their transport touched down on the dank desert planet they’d been directed to. “Erwin!”

“Are you reprimanding me, Levi?” He asked with delight in his crystal blue eyes.

“No… sir… it just seems impossible that a boy with potential like you say would be here of all places,” he wrinkled his nose.

“Tatooine is lovely,” he closed his eyes as the pressure locks opened and they were released onto the grimy surface.

“It’s a cesspool,” Levi muttered, “You won’t find a youngling here to train.”

“You can never tell. The Midi-chlorians are finicky,” Erwin tucked his hands into his robes. “You continue to surprise me, Levi, I would have thought you’d be excited to find someone with great potential.”

“There are many with potential, not many achieve what they have the potential to do,” the shorter man replied.

“Positivity has always been your best quality,” Erwin looked around.

“Where is this miraculous youngling supposed to be?”

“You keep doubting and yet here I am telling you that it’s been foretold,” Erwin replied. “Whether we will find him here or not remains to be seen. I should think this place has potential for something extraordinary in and of itself.”

“Erwin, Mos Eisley is the armpit of the galaxy.”

“When I found you in The Works I bet you wouldn’t have thought that.”

“That…” Levi’s face flickered and he fingered the hilt of his saber almost impatiently. “Even then I would have thought this place filthy...”

Tatooine had once been a beautiful planet filled with a paradisical jungles and rainforests beside massive, undulating oceans. Glassing had turned it into the ugly sand hole it was now, fragments of silica left behind by countless wars had rendered the planet worthless for anything but scraping a living by on gambling or selling junk by breaking down the once fertile earth and ruining the cycle of the world.

“What is the Republic doing with this place?” He wondered with knitted brows as they passed by beggars, narrowly avoiding being touched but tossing them a few credits anyway. He wasn’t going to say he didn’t feel pity for them… that he didn’t understand their plight.

“Ignoring it, mostly,” Erwin answered. In this city he looked out of place with his broad shoulders and tidy blonde hair, blue eyes bright and intelligent. “The--”

“Hey! Come back here you little piece of shit!” A blur ran between Erwin and Levi, shoving them aside and staggering into the crowd. “Somebody catch him!”

“Levi,” Erwin said his name and the shorter man sighed angrily. “You know what our job is.”

Levi took to the street quickly, following the path of the thief into the alleys of Eisley and catching him scrabbling up the side of a building.

“Hey!” Levi started up the ladder after him.

“Go away!” A foot connected with his forehead and Levi snarled, snatching for his foot.

“You piece of shit!” A second foot crushed his fingers, the boy held up by the strength of his arms. “Get your ass back here!”

“Fuck you!” The boy vanished over the edge of the rooftop and Levi scowled.

“I’m getting too damned old to deal with this shit,” he charged after him and lifted his hand, forming a barrier for the boy to bump into.

He didn’t stop, much to Levi’s shock, small hand touching a series of cracks that had appeared; glowing blue in the dusklight. The Force barrier shattered and the boy moved on without a second thought; leaving Levi standing stock still where he was. _What the hell just happened?_

“Oof--” The boy crashed into something monolithic, a big hand grabbing him by the shoulder and lifting him off his feet. “HEY LET ME GO!” He swung for the square jaw and his captor held him away, tiny arms swinging futilely in the air.

“Good boy, Levi,” Erwin complimented, looking at his catch with interest.

“Little shit broke my barrier,” Levi walked closer. “Be careful Erwin he’s fucking weird.”

“Nng! Let me go!” The boy kicked angrily again, Erwin just holding him at arm’s length until he’d finally worn himself out. “Hff…” he folded his arms, seemingly resigned to this man’s hold. “Are you gonna punish me?” He muttered.

“I haven’t decided yet, what exactly did you do?” The tall man asked and the boy scowled.

“Ma told me to get bread. I got bread.”

“Did you pay for it?” Levi asked skeptically, noticing that the boy didn’t have any bags.

“Yeah but that keep took it! And then he called me out! Picking some Republic soldiers too…” he folded his arms and Levi glanced at his master; disliking the glint of a smile in his eyes.

“Tell me, Levi here says you broke his barrier.”

“Yeah, so?” The kid sniffed and Levi had the sudden urge to slap him silly.

“How did you do that?”

“Like I’m gonna tell you!” He snapped. “Put me down! Ma said I had to be back before suns down!”

“How about we take you home and explain to your mother just what happened?” Erwin asked.

“Whatsyer name?”

“Erwin, and yours?”

“Eren… not that it’s any of your business,” Levi was certain he was going to beat the shit out of this kid before the day was over.

 

* * *

 

“Eren!” Carla rushed out of their house when the Knights walked up with the boy in tow. “Oh thank you so much! Is he in trouble?”

“Oh no, ma’am, quite the opposite; we’re quite interested in your boy.”

Levi didn’t miss the flash of terror that appeared on her face at his words, glancing at his master and back down at the boy that let his mother hug him with a scowl on his face.

“I’m fine, Ma, it’s not a big deal… these thugs chased me down and beat me.”

“I’m going to beat you _now_ , you little shit,” Levi threatened, finally tired of this kid’s foul mouth.

“Oh yeah? Bring it!” Eren challenged and his mother swatted his behind.

“Get in the house and wash up!” She scolded, “Please would you come in?”

“We’d love to,” Erwin said pleasantly and she led them into the house. “Don’t get into a pissing contest with an eight year old.”

“He’s not going to have a dick to piss with!” Erwin scoffed and led the angry Jedi into the house.

“So what’s this about being interested in my son?” Carla asked curiously.

Levi glanced around the house with a scathing eye, wrinkling his nose just slightly at the way the dust gathered on the stone floors. The glassing had left the planet a dry wasteland and all he could think was that it had just created more dirt.

“I think it should wait until we have a chance to speak to you privately,” Erwin offered.

“Anything you say to my mom about me I can hear!” Eren demanded, returning from washing his hands.

“How can you sit down at the table with all that dirt on your face? You’re not clean you’re still filthy,” he rubbed at his cheek with the rough fabric of his robes. “Wash up properly.”

“Make me!” Eren protested.

“Eren! Do as you’re told,” Carla told him and Erwin fixed his adept with a stare.

“Levi make sure he’s presentable.”

“You’re making me give the dog a bath?” Levi’s brows dropped into a scowl.

“I don’t need help! I’m not going to bathe!” Eren protested once more.

“Eren!” Carla scolded and he quieted just slightly. “You don’t need to do that, I can take care of it.”

“It’s Levi that has the problem and it’s Levi that should take care of it don’t you think?” Erwin mused.

Carla looked irritated for a moment, but the thought of _not_ having to give Eren a bath herself was somehow more pleasing than bothering to argue with the Jedi, “Very well.”

“Ugh you’d think I’d get a better job than this,” Levi grabbed him around the middle and lifted him off his feet. “Behave, you unruly monster. Ugh you’re disgusting.”

“He takes to water about as well as a cat…” Carla chuckled, looking back to Erwin, “Well you did said you wanted to speak to me alone.”

“That I did,” Erwin nodded. “My name is Erwin Smith and I am a Jedi of the Order,” Eren’s shouts of ‘ _Stop! You’re hurting me!_ ’ could be heard from the other room and Levi’s responding ‘ _I'_ _m only hurting the planetoids you’re growing on your skin_ ’. “My cohort that is now so gently assisting your child…” he winced at the crash and Levi’s resounding ‘ _What the hell!_ ’ “... Is Levi, another Master of our Order… we discovered today that your son is in possession of quite a unique set of skills.”

“My name is Carla Jaeger,” Carla’s brows knitted and she curled her hands into her apron as she introduced herself, “My husband said something like that once… that he was special.”

“Oh? Does he know much of our Order?” Erwin glanced up as a dripping figure passed by, his former padawan trudged between rooms, dark hair plastered to his head. _What the hell is he up to? Letting that kid get the best of him._

“I believe so, he’s from Coruscant. He attended medical school there,” she nodded. “He’ll be back soon if you want to talk to him,” she gestured for Erwin to sit and turned to check the dinner she’d been preparing.

“Would you be willing to allow him to study on Coruscant with us?” Erwin asked after a few moments of silence and her hands stilled. “He would be safe, of course, and when he’s of age he’ll be assigned a Jedi Master to train him. His power is far too unique to allow it to pass by us…”

“Being a Jedi is dangerous isn’t it?” She asked.

“I would say not, we are trained in combat as well as other manners of restraint… and the Force guides us, allowing us to save others from harm as well as ourselves.”

 

* * *

 

“You know I don’t like you,” Eren said as Levi scrubbed his scalp, perched in a round tub half filled with lukewarm water.

“That’s fine I don’t like you either,” Levi replied. “You’re filthy.”

“I don’t like baths.”

“We’ve established that as well.”

Eren looked at him over his tanned shoulder, verdant eyes searching Levi’s face, “So you’re a Jedi?”

“I am.”

“You kill stuff?”

“That’s not the point of being a Jedi,” he rubbed his thumbs against the nape of his hair.

“What’s the point of being a Jedi then if you’re not the strongest?”

“Why does being the strongest mean you have to kill things?” Levi asked and Eren fiddled with the wash sponge floating in the bath.

“I dunno… What do you do if you don’t kill things?”

“Why are you so obsessed with killing?” He picked up a bucket and dumped it over his head to rinse his hair.

“Wh-Why don’t you like to kill things?” Eren spluttered and Levi nearly smiled at him spitting soap. _Now you’re just cruel, Levi._

“Because it’s worthless to murder creatures senselessly. Everything tied to the Force has purpose.”

“Even if _they_ kill things?”

“Yes, even if they kill things,” Levi answered unwaveringly.

“So how do you… you bring peace and stuff right?” Eren asked as Levi wrapped him up in a towel. “What’s this?” His curious fingers found Levi’s saber hilt.

“My weapon,” Levi replied patiently. _He’s really not to bad once he’s calmed down_. He slapped his hand away. “We bring peace to the galaxy through thought and peaceful negotiations. Battle is only a last resort and killing is rarely an option.”

“Can I be a Jedi?”

“Not with your shitty attitude.”

“How do I become a Jedi?” Eren looked up at him and Levi scoffed.

“I doubt you have the patience or the discipline, dry off and dress. At least you’re clean,” he shooed him from the room.

“How do I get those things?” Eren stopped in the door, towel blanketed over his head as he clutched it around him.

“You don’t. You have to have them,” Levi replied. “Go get dressed.”

“Hff you suck I’m going to become a Jedi just to show you!” Eren stuck his tongue out at him and stomped out of the room.

 _Sure you are kid_ … Levi rolled his eyes.

 

* * *

 

“To Coruscant?” Eren’s father had returned just before dinner, interested to see the two Jedi in his house but apparently not at all surprised. “Certainly.”

“Grisha shouldn’t we talk about this?” Carla scolded. “Eren’s a boy he shouldn’t be running off to some megalopolis with two strangers!”

Eren paid his parents no mind, sitting with his hand on the table as Erwin pricked his finger, “What’s this for?”

“We’re going to find out just how much potential you have,” the tall man replied.

“Your name’s Erwin right?” Eren asked, wondering how someone with such big hands could be so gentle.

“That’s right,” he motioned his hand over his finger and the wound closed.

“Whoa! How did you do that?” Eren gasped against the background of his bickering parents.

“The Force is in all things, if you know how to use it many things are possible,” he dabbed his sample onto a box and Eren leaned closer.

“What’s that?”

“It’s a machine that tests for Midi-chlorians.”

”What’s that?” Eren’s enthusiasm had Erwin smiling.

“Midi-chlorians exist in the cells of those who can use the Force, they’re the reason we’re attuned to it.”

“Grisha I don’t want to send my son off to war…” Levi watched them speak, wondering if Eren even noticed how concerned his mother was.

“Levi,” a small hand tugged at his sleeve.

“He’s not going to war, Carla, he’s going to learn how to use that power of his.”

“Levi,” the hand became more persistent.

“What power? He’s just a normal boy!”

“ _Levi_ ,” he fisted his other hand in Levi’s cloak and tugged.

“Carla you can’t pretend that’s the truth anymore!”

“LEVI IS AN UGLY LITTLE MAN!” Eren finally yelled from the Jedi’s elbow and Erwin clapped a hand over his mouth to stifle the laughter.

Grisha and Carla stared at their son as Levi’s head slowly turned, eyes glinting, “What the hell did you just say?”

“Is this right?” Erwin’s voice interrupted the impending argument.

“What is it?” Levi rose to look over Erwin’s shoulder. “It can’t be…”

“What’s happening?” Eren blinked and his mother caught her hand in his hair, pulling him against her hip as she moved closer to him.

“This is incredible, Eren may I have another sample?” Erwin asked, confusion blatant on his angular face as Levi’s hand gripped his shoulder tightly.

“Sure?” The moment was lost on the boy, green eyes looking around at the tense adults, then settling on his father; whose grim face held no surprise.

When the second trial held the same results Erwin sat back in his chair and Levi’s fingers slackened on his shoulder; for a long moment the house was quiet… almost reverent.

“Your son is going to be coming with us,” Erwin murmured.

“Why? What is all this?” Carla frowned, pulling Eren closer. “He’s a boy…”

“He’s a boy with something incredible inside of him,” Erwin replied. “I’ve never seen a Midi-chlorian count before this high in my life.”

“What do you mean?” Eren looked up at his mother as she spoke, starting to feel a little resentful.

“I want to be a Jedi!” Eren told her, fisting his small hand in her skirts. “I want to go with them!”

“No! Absolutely not! He’s a child not a warrior.”

“Certainly he isn’t,” Levi agreed. “And he won’t be for a long while, but it’s not as if we can leave him here knowing what we know now.”

“And what is that? That your machine is broken?”

“No, Carla, Eren’s always been an exceptional child,” Grisha’s hand curled around her elbow. “I expected them to come sooner.”

“I’m not letting two strange men take my son!” Carla protested, fingers digging into Eren’s shoulders.

“Carla… Carla come here,” her husband pulled her away, hand ruffling his son’s hair. “If you’ll just… give us a moment, sirs?”

“Of course, this is a decision that weighs on all of us,” Erwin bowed his head graciously.

“Why are they so mad? I wanna be a Jedi! When do I start?” Eren looked up at Levi.

“You called me an ugly little man.”

“You weren’t paying attention to me!”

“I thought you said you hated me?”

“I… don’t hate you I just don’t like you!”

“Oh… so there’s a distinction?” Levi arched an eyebrow and the boy frowned at him.

“Erwin will you tell me what’s going on?” Eren switched his attention to the big blonde, gripping his knee curiously.

“You’re very special, I want to teach you the ways of my Order, but I need your parents’ permission first,” Erwin explained patiently, placing a hand on his head. “Are you sure you want to become a Jedi?”

“Yeah! I want to keep people safe!”

“Just remember you said that. It may come back to haunt you,” Erwin warned.

 

* * *

 

Eren didn’t cry when they boarded the starship, eyes too bright and curious to worry, but his mother sobbed into the comforting arms of her husband. She had relented with gentle words from Grisha and the reassurance of Erwin that he would always be well taken care of and looked after.

He spent the first portion of their trip poking around the ship, bothering the engineers and amusing the crew with his antics. Levi wondered if his energy would ever end, tracking him down in the hull, climbing around with a child of one of the crewmembers.

“Eren! Master Erwin says it’s time for bed,” Levi told him and the boy stopped, staring him down like a frightened cat. _Oh shit not this again_. “Don’t you even think about it!” He started after him and Eren’s squeals of laughter echoed through the hull as he wiggled between boxes away from him. “You little piece of shit!”

“Come find me~” Eren’s voice rose, muffled from his hiding spot.

“I am getting tired of your bullshit! I will do no such thing!”

“You’re no fun…” Eren grumbled.

“I’m not here to have fun with you, I’m here to keep an eye on you for Master Erwin,” Levi replied.

“He’s your master?”

“He is… was… you don’t stop calling your Jedi Master _Master_ even once you’ve finished your training…” he folded his arms over his chest.

“Do you know… who my Master is?” Eren peered out at him, crawling from his space.

“You won’t know until someone chooses you as their padawan,” Levi snatched him up the instant he was free of his confines.

“Hey!”

“You let your guard down, it’s time for bed,” Levi carried him off.

“How does someone choose you?” Eren asked once he was being shoved into his bed.

“They see something in you… the Jedi Masters watch the initiation trials,” Levi answered. “Stay in bed. If I see you out and about I’m throwing you out the airlock.”

“Okay…” Eren muttered and watched him hesitate in the doorway. “Bye…”

“Bye?” Levi rolled his eyes and let the door slide shut. _Stupid fucking kid is more trouble than he’s worth_.

 

* * *

 

He hadn’t expected to be woken up by the sound of his door opening and closing, bookended by the pattering of little feet on the ship’s steel floor. He almost reached for his saber until the boy climbed over the edge of his bed and pat around for the edge of the blanket.

“What are you doing?” He growled but didn’t protest when Eren settled down under his blanket. “Are you crying?” He pinched his soft cheek between gentle fingers.

“No…” Eren muttered and settled against his chest uninvited.

“Why didn’t you go to Erwin?” Eren nestled his face between the folds of Levi’s robes, breathing warm air against his skin as the Jedi lifted his hand, stroking his fingers through the silken strands atop his head. _What do I do with a crying child? Erwin is better at this shit_.

“I had a nightmare.”

“Oh…” As if that explained it, why a kid that had spent the past two days berating him and ignoring his orders, would suddenly crawl into his bed in the middle of sleep hours. _Why me_? He let the boy pull his arm around his small body, closing his eyes and settling his chin on top of his head.

“Will you be my Master, Levi?” Eren murmured against his skin.

“You don’t listen to me, what makes you think I’ll train you?”

“I don’t want someone else.”

“You’ve known me two days, I might not even be that good of Jedi.”

“But I want you to train me.”

“There will be lots of other Masters who will be vying to train you, you’ll have your pick.”

“But I want you to train me.”

“Shit you’re persistent…” Levi grumbled. “I’ll think about it.”

That seemed to satisfy him enough that he settled down, lashes fluttering closed in Levi’s arms. He’d just needed someone safe and warm, someone to rely on, and Levi had offered that in his own strange way he supposed… Eren felt comfortable with him. _This fucking brat_. He thought as he drifted off to the beat of the boy’s heart pressed close to his chest.

 

* * *

 

 _Was that the moment it was all decided_? Levi wondered as he watched 16 year old Eren pass off the Togruta child to her parents, smiling at their gratitude and shaking his head that it was nothing. Had he made up his mind to take the kid under his wing in those first few days?

“Master?” Eren found him staring. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll reach Alderaan with time to spare despite this hiccup,” Levi shook his head.

“What were you thinking about?” His sly padawan asked.

“I was thinking that you need a bath,” Levi chided.

“I hate baths.”

“Not this again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here it is! The Star Wars AU that I've been slaving over for three days. It's not the quality I like and it feels a little choppy but it'll get better from here.
> 
> I'm super nervous about how bad this sucks... but there you go. <3
> 
> tumblr: thingsishouldntbedoing
> 
> tracking: fic: aot crossroads


	2. Trials.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Children are hard to raise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! And welcome to the long awaited (ha) second chapter of Crossroads. Sorry it took me a weird about of time to write this one I was fiddling with some ideas and couldn't get them quite right.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> tumblr: thingsishouldntbedoing
> 
> tracking: fic: aot crossroads

**_Eren,_ ** _Age 8_

**_Levi,_ ** _Age 22_

The adjustment to Coruscant hadn’t been as difficult as Levi had thought it was going to be. The eight year old took quickly to the lifestyle of the Jedi and the planet of a trillion inhabitants but there was one catch--  
  
“No.”  
  
“Please! I don’t want to go!” Eren’s hands clung tightly to the fabric of his robes.  
  
“Eren you have to it’s _school_ and a Jedi is always educated,” he chided.  
  
“Can’t I stay with you? I’ll learn to be smart with you!” Eren insisted, whining lightly when Levi picked him up like a sack of potatoes under his arm.

“You won’t learn to be smart with me. You’re going to go learn to use your power,” Levi carried him out of his room and down towards the meeting green where the younglings were beginning to gather to meet their teachers for the first time.  
  
“But I don’t wanna go anywhere!” Eren wriggled, trying to get free.   
  
“You’re going to go and make friends with the other younglings like you,” yet Levi knew they wouldn’t be like him. The children he’d meet could never truly measure up to the potential he contained; the potential the Jedi Council was certain he had.   
  
Levi was almost pleased to see that none of the 8 year olds had even reached his height (there had been one boy-- damn him), looking around before setting Eren down on his feet.

The children who were already gathered looked at him curiously: a boy with soft blonde hair and big blue eyes that stood with a quiet-looking girl with long dark locks and solemn grey eyes. There were two other boys sitting in the grass, one of whom had his legs over his friend’s lap, laying lazily in the grass as they talked. The dark haired, freckled boy laughed at his companion’s words, sprinkling pieces of grass over his thin chest. A brown haired girl and a boy with a shaved head were wrestling but stopped slowly when the freckled boy pat them to break it up.  
  
“Look they all seem nice,” Levi did eye a young boy that was nearing his height with dark hair and a long, sorrowful face. He was holding hands with a blonde boy, speaking to him with a nervous smile. Off to the side stood a quiet girl, arms folded over her chest as she watched the others play.   
  
“Who’s that?” Eren asked curiously, seeing a tall woman standing near a shy-looking girl who seemed to want to play with the other children but wouldn’t stray too far from her Jedi protector.  
  
“A princess of another world,” Levi replied.   
  
“That woman is a Jedi right?” Eren looked up at him.  
  
“Yep, go on and play with the other kids,” Levi nudged him.   
  
“I don’t wanna…”  
  
 _“Eren.”_

“Will you come back?” Eren resisted the hand pushing on his head.  
  
“Yes, _yes_ okay I’ll be here to pick you up,” Levi told him impatiently.  
  
“Okay…” he shuffled off, glancing over his shoulder at Levi sadly.  
  
“ _Go on_ ,” Levi shooed him off and turned, but Eren wasn’t the only one to glance back. _He’ll be fine what am I worried about? Why am I even worried about it?_

 

* * *

 

“Levi!” He heard him before he saw him; the pounding of tiny boots on the Coruscant floors like a herd of kybucks. “Levi guess what!” He was like a flurry of energy hitting the office Levi was sitting in, plowing into him and immediately climbing into his lap. “I made friends!”  
  
“Get off me,” Levi picked him up and set him on his feet but in a matter of moments the boy was scrambling to get back into his lap. “Damn it kid!”   
  
Erwin, sitting behind the desk, chuckled at Eren’s insistence before noticing that several other Younglings were peering in shyly, “Come in we don’t bite.”

“S-Sorry sir… Eren said…” The first to speak was the blonde with the big blue eyes, scuttling around the corner with the other children in tow.  
  
“Well I guess he wasn’t lying,” one of the taller boys said. His tawny hair was shaved in a distinct undercut with the long locks falling over his eyes, Erwin had the feeling it was tribal; as his attached friend seemed to have a similar cut.

“--didn’t come pick me up,” Eren was saying while the others were talking, fingers gripping into Levi’s collar to keep him steady on his lap.   
  
“I was busy.”  
  
“You were just here talking to Master Erwin!”

“That’s busy!”  
  
“No it’s _not_ ,” Eren whined. “I wanted to show you my friends.”  
  
“Well now you’ve shown them to me,” he tried again to peel Eren off but the boy wasn’t about to go down without a fight; clinging to him with desperation.  
  
“You have to meet them!”   
  
“I’m interested in meeting your friends,” Erwin said good naturedly. “Why don’t you all introduce yourselves?”  
  
“My name is Armin Arlert,” the blonde with the big eyes said and Erwin wondered what his count was; there was something interesting and intelligent about his face. “This is Mikasa Ackerman.”  
  
“Jean Kirchstein,” the noisy undercut boy said proudly. “And this is Marco Bodt.”  
  
“I can introduce myself, Jean.”  
  
“That’s Sasha and Connie!” Eren offered helpfully. “And Reiner and Bertie!”

“Bertholdt,” the tallest boy that Levi had been eying earlier corrected shyly. “Uhm but Bertie’s okay…”  
  
“You made friends with all of them?” Levi asked incredulously.   
  
“His gregariousness seems to know no bounds,” Erwin mused. “My name is Erwin Smith.”  
  
“And you’re _Levi_ ,” Jean said almost authoritatively. “Everybody knows you.”  
  
“Do they?” Levi had apparently given up, arms relaxed around Eren as he leaned against his chest.   
  
“Of course you’re like a hero! You swoop in and save the day when nobody else can!” Eren boasted.  
  
“That was one time and I was still a padawan,” his eyes flickered to his master.  
  
“You’ve done more than that! I’ve seen the holovids!” Eren protested.  
  
“Tch, shut up,” Levi swept his cloak over his head and wrapped him up in it, but the damage was done -- the other Younglings had gathered around him curiously, much to Erwin’s amusement. “Damn it don’t you all have better things to be doing? Homework? Meditation?”  
  
“Can you tell us about the sith you’ve seen?” It was Armin speaking next with interest.  
  
“I want to learn how to fight!” Mikasa said fiercely.  
  
“Well all of those things are up to your Masters!”  
  
“Levi’s gonna be my Master!” Eren boasted again, the cloak fabric falling down around his shoulders.  
  
“I never agreed to that!”   
  
“Wow Eren! That’s so cool!” Marco’s voice was the next to join the fray.  
  
“Hey! Do any of you sithspawn listen to me?!” Levi argued.  
  
“What we talked about, Levi?” Erwin’s voice cut through the din and Levi looked over to him.  
  
“Yes, sir. I will…”

 

* * *

 

_“Levi I want you to take care of the boy,”_ Erwin’s voice resounded clear in his mind as he meditated, or at least tried to meditate with his mind constantly searching for where Eren would attack him from next. _He’s sleeping in his room what am I paranoid about?_ He took a deep breath and forced everything from his mind. He had to think about anything but _Eren_.   
  
“Levi?”  
  
“Are you kidding?” His head whipped around to the door as the boy slid in through it, pressing the button to let it close. “You’re supposed to be in bed it’s _late_.”  
  
“I know…” Eren murmured. “I couldn’t sleep,” he lifted his eyes and moved a little closer.  
  
“So you thought you’d come in here?”  
  
“I just…” He rubbed his arm, rubbing his toe against the ground.  
  
“Come here,” Levi sighed and opened his arm. The brown haired boy settled into his lap, cradled against his chest comfortably. _I’m babying him too much…_ But the boy was far away from his home and someone needed to care for him. Anyone. “Why can’t you sleep?” He asked, wrapping the long sleeves of his robes around him, letting him relax.

“I had a nightmare,” the trust in those heavy green eyes was obvious, thick and affectionate in the best and worst of ways. It left Levi breathless in a way he didn’t know was possible, lifting his hand to stroke his fingers through his soft brown hair comfortingly. He wasn’t entirely sure who it was supposed to be comforting to; himself or Eren, but it worked either way because the boy’s eyes drooped and his body went slack.  
  
“What did you dream about?”  
  
“We fought…” Eren murmured. “I was all in black and… you look scared… of me… we were fighting about something and you… kept saying that you wanted to protect me…” Eren nuzzled against his ribcage, catlike in his exhaustion.

_Is he having prophetic nightmares?_ He cradled his hand against his cheek, concern bubbling into his stomach. “Can you remember anything else?”  
  
“Not really… fire… can I sleep with you?”  
  
“You brat,” Levi sighed. “I’m going to finish my meditations so be quiet.”  
  
“You didn’t say no,” the boy was asleep before Levi had closed his eyes.

 

* * *

 

**Eren** , _Age 12_

**Levi** , _Age 26_

 

"Eren--"

"Whoa!" The boy was already sliding down the icy slope towards the pack of beasts that huddled closer when he drew near. "Wow! Everybody back home won’t believe this!"

"Eren! You little shit get back here!" Levi followed a few paces behind.

"C'mere! I'm not gonna hurt you~" Eren crooned, lifting his fingers towards the nose of a small tauntaun that grunted at him.

"If you get your fingers bit off I'm not putting them back on."

"C'mere…" he waited to see what would happen despite Levi drawing closer. Finally the foal purred and nuzzled its nose into his hand. "AAAHHAHAHAAAAH!" He screamed with delight and the baby sprinted away as he ran back to his mentor, laughing all the way.

“Be damned you sithspit!” Levi snarled. “Did it bite you?” The boy clung to his robes excitedly. Twelve and bright and beautiful with green eyes that shone like sabers; Levi could barely resist the sound of his laugh.   
  
“It’s okay!” He held up his hand. “It was a baby, Levi!”  
  
“Children are menaces.”  
  
“Am I a menace?”  
  
“You are sithspawn,” Levi pulled his heavy cloak around the both of him, cradling his hand against his padawan’s head.   
  
“Am I sith spawn or sith spit? Because I can’t be both you know…”  
  
“How do you know the sith don’t reproduce by spitting?”   
  
“Ew!”  
  
“Ew is right,” he could feel the boy’s small body shivering, sighing and scooping him up in his arms. “You are nearly as tall as I am you worthless brat.”  
  
“I-- why are you picking me up?” Eren nestled his face into Levi’s hood, wrapping his legs around his waist.  
  
“You’re cold, right?”

The Republic pilot had given them a crazy look when Levi had requested they be taken to _Hoth_ of all places; the frozen and desolate wasteland that sentient creatures strayed far and wide from. It wasn’t until they arrived that Levi explained why even to his own padawan.   
  
“What if we don’t find them here?” Eren murmured, comfortable in the warmth of Levi’s arms.   
  
“Then we go home, this is where their signal was last received from,” Levi sighed.   
  
“All the other kids were mad that I got to come with you…” Eren murmured. “Their second trials are soon.” Levi pursed his lips at his comment, humming. He’d watched Eren’s first trial, the simple questioning and testing of their understanding of the Jedi Code, and while Eren’s answers were satisfactory… Levi could feel the boy’s own sensibilities coming through. Each Jedi interpreted the code slightly differently but Eren seemed to take every word for absolute truth. His world was black and white; if it didn’t adhere to his strict beliefs then it was wrong. Levi smiled faintly against the boy’s ear at that thought, wondering just how long it would take for that idea to fade. If ever.  
  
“Are you nervous about your second?” Levi murmured.  
  
“It’s just putting together a lightsaber right?”   
  
“ _Just_. Yes it is.”   
  
“Well we’ve done that before… you showed me how a while ago.”  
  
“I had no idea you actually paid attention when I spoke?” Levi said drily, shivering when a harsh blast of arctic air nearly knocked them over.  
  
“I always pay attention to you,” Eren replied. “Are you going to be my master?”  
  
“I haven’t decided yet, Eren,” Levi sense the ship before they reached it. Something dark tingled on his senses and he set Eren down in the snow.   
  
“What’s wrong?” The youngling didn’t stray far from him, huddling beneath his cloak.   
  
“Stay back,” his fingers were at his saber as he walked forward. He could see the fresh wreckage, blackened and burned out against the pure white carpet of snow, but it wasn’t the source. _No_ there was something darker nearby. _Sith?_ It had been years since he’d sensed one, much less seen one, and it didn’t seem like now would be any different… but there was something odd in the air. Not a disturbance; but a ripple. As if someone had dipped their finger into a clear lake and pulled it out slowly. Enough to cause local movement, not enough to reach the edges of the water.  
  
“Levi?” Eren said again.   
  
“Go! Get back to the starship,” Levi turned when the hair on the back of his neck prickled. “Eren!” He threw his hand.

Eren ran on his order, scrabbling over the ice and snow as a roar shook his spine. _What’s that?_ He was too terrified to look, shoving his hands deep into the fabric of his cloak.   
  
“Keep going!” Levi’s voice was farther back now, the sound of his saber buzzing hot through the frozen air as a strangled roar echoed across the empty landscape.  
  
 _What is it?_ He tripped, ankle twisting on something sunk deep into the permafrost beneath the snow, and tumbled down a hill with his heart racing.

Levi saw him fall out of the corner of his eye, cursing his luck as claws tore at his cloak, “You piece of shit!” He summoned his other saber, moving with ferocity as he cut the massive beast down, crystals blazing with each whirling swipe.

The resounding scream from behind made his blood freeze. _Eren._ He turned in what felt like slow motion, hands thrown out behind him as he ran. “EREN RUN!” He had never felt panic in the same way he did at that moment; not the pants-shittingly horrified fear of losing the fucking brat he had been entrusted with. Not now. Not on this Force-forsaken place.

Three of them had found him, leaving the twelve year old caught as they swiped for him. One set of claws managed to catch his face and he was sent in a heap to the ground. He was back on his feet quickly, dodging what swipes he could and looking for a way out even when he was sure he would die. He could hear Levi’s voice like bells on the wind, adrenaline pumping in his veins as his lungs burned in the cold. Blood from the cuts on his face blinded him and he felt claws scrape the thin muscle of his chest. _I’m going to die here._   
  
A battle cry pumped heat into his veins, the sound of twin sabers blazing as a blurry figure landed over him, moving in violent unison. Eren managed to open his bleary eyes, watching the man above him kick away a monster twice his size, whirling in an intricate battle dance that left Eren dizzy. He was a flurry of light and cloak and power that left Eren breathless with excitement as he watched, fighting for consciousness just to see his master fight and sear away at the monsters that threatened him.

_Master._ Eren smiled, lips blue as he faded into darkness, sinking into the snow.

 

* * *

 

“ _Eren--”_ His voice reached him like an echo. “ _Eren…”_ The voice became more persistent but Eren felt so warm and comfortable in the darkness. “ _Eren can you hear me?”_ He swiped out at the voice, wanting it to go away. All he wanted to do was sleep. Forever. Rest here in the nothingness.  
  
“EREN!” Panic edged into the voice as it became more clear, sharper in the fuzzy noise surrounding him. _Noise?_ He wondered when that had appeared. Where had the noise come from? 

His eyes opened finally, stiff in their movement, and for a long moment he was terrified. He was tucked against a bare chest, face buried against the firm muscle of a broad shoulder. _Where am I?_  
  
“Eren?” A smooth, familiar voice filled his ears and everything came flooding back. Hoth, the wreckage… “Are you okay?” He sat away, feeling dizzy, as the pain began to sink in. The ache in his face and chest were more than enough to bring tears to his eyes. “Hey, hey it’s okay,” a warm hand braced his neck. “Are you alright?” He asked again.  
  
“Levi…” his bottom lip trembled around a parched tongue.   
  
“Here have some water,” he helped him drink from the canteen. “We’re in the engine room of the starship, safe now. Do you know what happened?”  
  
“Monsters…” he whispered.  
  
“Wampas,” Levi’s heart ached to see the darkening bruises on his face, welts that he’d treated as best he could with antiseptic salve and butterfly bandages, to see the bandages wrapped around Eren’s thin chest where more wounds hid. “Nasty creatures… they usually don’t travel in packs like that…”  
  
“Are you hurt?” Eren murmured, reaching out to touch the firm muscle of his chest. “Why are you--”  
  
“Your body temperature was too low, I had to keep you warm somehow,” it was now that Eren noticed his robes and cloak were wrapped around them both. “I was worried you might get frostbite.”  
  
“Did I?” He lifted his fingers to make sure they were all there.  
  
“No, of course not,” Levi breathed a sigh of relief, leaning forward to rest his head against Eren’s thin shoulder.   
  
“Levi?” He lifted his hands with some effort, wrapping small arms around his shoulders and curling his fingers into his hair the way Levi always had.   
  
“I’m sorry, Eren.”  
  
“Don’t be sorry it’s okay,” Eren nuzzled his hair lovingly, bandages on his arm restricting movement just slightly. “I’m okay… right? You saved me…”  
  
“Yeah…” Levi closed his eyes against his bare skin, wrapping his arms back around him. Eren would never know how he’d felt. How the bile and panic had risen in his throat as he carried his half-frozen body back to the starship. How his fingers had shaken as Levi stripped him to his underwear and pulled him into the warmth of clean robes he’d barely managed to capture in his shaking fingers. How he’d sat for the past half hour massaging his feet and hands back to life, treating his wounds even while he was pressed against the bare skin of his abdomen. How he’d cradled him close and pressed prayers into his scalp.

If Eren died it would be his fault. He hadn’t protected him. And that was all he had been instructed to do.

_“Take care of the boy…”_  Erwin had instructed and Levi had done the exact opposite. He’d let him get hurt, nearly let him die.  
  
“Levi… Levi are you okay?” It was Eren’s turn to call his attention, to lift his head up. When had his hands grown so large? When had his shoulders begun to broaden? When had the eyes of a child begun to shine with the understanding of an adult?   
  
“Yes… I’m fine…” he nodded. “When we return…”  
  
“I know… it’s my second trial…” Eren murmured.  
  
“When we return I will let the Jedi Council know that you will be my padawan upon completion of your second trial. You have already undergone the trial of strength,” he was certain he would regret it later, but the light in those blue eyes had his heart lifting out of the grey panic from before.  
  
“Really?!”

  
“Yes. If you can successfully complete your second task I will take you under my tutelage…” _If only so I know you will learn to fight. This will not be the last time this happens._

“Master!” Eren said happily and buried his face against his ear happily. _I love Levi the most._  
  
Levi hazarded a smile for the first time in a long time, catching his hand against his slender back. He wouldn’t fail like this ever again. He wouldn’t risk Eren’s life or his light.

_I suppose you aren’t that bad._ He thought fondly and pulled his robes back around them.


	3. The reason.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night before Eren's second trial.

**_Eren,_ ** _Age 12_

**_Levi,_ ** _Age 26_

“Eren!” Armin’s voice was first to reach him when he was freed from the infirmary. Levi had treated his wounds to the best of his ability and as such Eren's visit hadn't been a lengthy one, meaning his friends hadn’t taken long to find him.

"Armin! Mikasa!" He smiled as they joined him, wrapping his good arm around Armin's neck and accepting Mikasa under the the injured one.

"Your face! We heard that you were mauled!" Armin touched the bandages on his cheek.

"I was attacked by Wampas," he replied. "We were on Hoth."

"Hoth! That's dangerous why would Levi take you there?" Mikasa frowned, pulling the fabric of his shirt open just slightly to look at the bandages on his chest.

"We were doing some stuff, it wasn't supposed to be dangerous I guess?" Eren glanced over, making eye contact with Levi as he left the infirmary next.

“Can you tell us about the Wampas?” Armin asked with interest. “I’ve only read about them--” he followed his eyeline and smiled at Levi. He was happy Levi had been there at least, someone to keep Eren safe. _But what happened?_ He wondered as Eren released them. _Why were they attacked? With so many other things to eat?  
  
_ “Where’s everybody else?” Eren asked, searching for Levi over his shoulder curiously. _I just saw him._ Eren furrowed his brows.  
  
“Everybody else is waiting back at the dorms,” Armin smiled.  
  
“It’s cool that Master Levi saved you,” Mikasa told him almost admiringly. “I’ve been hoping he would take me as his student.”  
  
A strange pang of jealousy and possessive anger surged through him and Eren couldn’t help the curl of his lip. It was the first time something like that had happened in years. Since he was a child filled with hatred for anyone and everything.  
  
“Hey!” Marco’s voice was the first to sound off as they neared their rooms, interrupting whatever Eren was about to say, “You’re okay!”  
  
“Yeah I’m alright,” Eren nodded and forced the possessiveness down. The fear that someone would take Levi away from him.

* * *

Armin looked over as Eren shifted in his bed, sitting up and folding his legs. He had been reading by the moonslight, breathing in the scent of the old pages and listening to the soft crinkle of the leathered pages. If there was anything in the galaxy he could enjoy it was the quiet susurrus of paper on paper against the humming white noise of the city.

“Are you going to see Levi again?” Armin asked softly and Eren shook his head.  
  
“I was just thinking... I couldn’t sleep,” he scratched at the scabs on his chest.   
  
“You haven’t been sleeping well since you got back…” Armin marked his page and slid his book under his bed. “Is something the matter?”  
  
“It’s been three days and… I haven’t seen him,” Eren murmured. “My second trial is coming soon and I thought he’d… practice with me or something…”  
  
“You’re going to do okay though right? You’ve practiced putting sabers together,” Armin rose and padded across the room to sit on the bed, wrapping his arms around his knees.  
  
“Yeah… hey Armin have you ever been in love?” Eren asked curiously.  
  
“What?” The other youngling sounded incredulous, voice overbearingly loud in the quiet of the dorm room. “Eren…” He lowered his tone as if someone might hear, “You know Jedi are forbidden from connections like that…”  
  
“I know… but just because we can’t act on it doesn’t mean we can’t feel it right?” Eren glanced over at him. 

“The answer to your question is _no_ and you shouldn’t be thinking about that kind of thing… it’s not really like you to question the Jedi Code…”  
  
“I’m not questioning the _Code_ I’m questioning you!” He hissed in response. “You’re smarter than me, Armin, I just wondered if you could…” He jumped when a cool, slender hand wrapped into his.  
  
“I’m sorry…”  
  
“It’s okay I shouldn’t have snapped at you,” Armin hesitated before leaning forward and resting his cheek on Eren’s bowed head. “To be honest I’ve been thinking about some stuff like that… kissing and… other things… They explained we’d feel that way you know?”  
  
“Yeah… We could do that stuff before we become Jedi right? I mean… kiss and _things_?” Eren lifted his head, dislodging Armin’s.  
  
“I mean I guess so… especially now because we’ve done our Oath Trials so it’s not like we… lied or anything during the trials?” Armin suggested almost wickedly.   
  
“Who would you kiss?”  
  
“Huh?”  
  
“If you could kiss someone who would it be?”  
  
“U-Uh anyone?” Armin asked, flushing. “I-I don’t know Eren I can’t think of anyone off the top of my head,” he looked away and hid his face behind his long hair.  
  
“I think you can,” Eren grinned.   
  
“Oh yeah? So who would you kiss?” Armin protested, throwing his best friend off course.  
  
But the answer he got wasn’t entirely unexpected, “Hey Armin… is it possible for two men to fall in love?”  
  
“Uhm…” Armin hesitated. How to answer a question like that? Why was Eren asking things like that? _Why would I even bother wondering about that?_ “I think I’ve seen it before in holovids and stuff…” Armin admitted shyly. “And some stuff I’ve read…”  
  
“So it can happen?”  
  
“In lots of cultures I think so… but Eren we can’t have emotional attachments…” Armin said again.  
  
“Then why would we bother to have a master? I mean it’s impossible for people to not be attached right?”  
  
“Yes but… I mean loyalty and stuff like that is different isn’t it? It’s not like _love_ or big words like that… we need to be able to make decisions without outside influence,” Armin furrowed his brows. “Keep that kind of stuff to yourself, you’re going to get thrown out of the program…”  
  
Eren fell quiet at that, picking at the scabs on his cheek. For the longest time all he heard was his own breathing, falling into his own thoughts like a vast ocean with no escape. Thoughts of _Levi_ and whatever hopes and dreams crashed into each other with their foaming teeth before melding together and disappearing into the smooth surface once more.  
  
“Eren?”  
  
“I’m going to see Levi… maybe he just forgot he was going to help me…” Eren stood up and walked briskly from the room.  
  
 _I just don’t want you to do anything that will get you hurt, Eren._ Armin thought as he watched him go, sliding his fingers through his hair.

* * *

Eren walked quietly between the columns of the school, running through shadows and walking through the bright beams of lights from the megalopolis buzzing with life outside the quiet academy. It was different here from his home on Tatooine, though not entirely unpleasant, at least he didn’t have to worry about being swindled here.

_I should call my mom._ He paused outside Levi’s door, letting the security do its job before sliding it open. For once Levi wasn’t sitting on the floor meditating, in fact Eren wasn’t sure where he was, glancing around the room. _Is he…_ He noticed the gentle rise and fall of a pile of blankets and felt his heart leap.

_He’s asleep…_ He walked over and found his boyish face turned up, rested and peaceful in the moonslight. _He looks soft when he’s sleep._ Eren reached out to touch his knuckles to the skin of his cheek hesitantly, heart pounding. When he didn’t stir Eren moved his fingers to brush his bangs from his brow. He wished he understood this feeling that tightened his chest and made his knees weak. He wished he understood a lot things: why Jedi couldn’t form bonds, why Levi had been so reluctant to be his master, why Levi had finally decided to agree… why the thought of him teaching anyone else made Eren’s blood flood with anger. 

_If you could kiss anyone who would it be?_

He let his fingers brush the blankets on Levi’s body, bracing his weight near the side of his head. He could feel a warm rush of air over his face, holding his breath so as not to disturb him, eyes searching the soft angles of Levi’s face.

_I would kiss Levi. Is that bad?_   
  
He wondered if Levi could feel his heart in his dreams, the staccato rhythm that made Eren’s limbs weak and his breath hitch. If he knew Eren was there, lips _oh-so_ close.

_I could kiss him right now._

He knew what a kiss was. He’d seen them in vids. He’d read about them in books. Heard the others in his class talk about them with each other… but he’d never had one before. He brushed another piece of hair from his face, eyes loving even if he didn’t know it.   
  
_He’ll never know._  
  
A pang of sadness shot through his chest. But if he was ever going to kiss Levi now was his chance. He licked his lips, heart nearly beating out of his chest, leaning down further.  
  
 _A kiss just for me. To keep me safe._  
  
He didn’t expect Levi’s lips to be so soft, so warm against his. It was a weird sensation, he wasn’t sure he’d ever do it again, but then they were moving against his and he flung himself to the ground.  
  
“What are you doing in here?” Levi asked as Eren tried to scramble away, embarrassed enough that he was certain his head was going to explode.  
  
“I-I’m so-sorry Master!” Eren caught onto the door, dragging himself up onto his trembling legs. “I-I’m leav--” a powerful arm wrapped around him and lifted him off his feet and the only thing Eren could think to do was go _limp_ and _wait._ _Oh gods he’s going to flay me. He’s going to skin me alive and set me on fire. He’s going to tear me apart with the force and throw me into the atmosphere._  
  
“Damn it, Eren, couldn’t you help me out a little you useless sack of flesh?” Levi grunted. The boy had turned into a lead weight, head hanging and arms stuck out at odd angles as he carried him to the bed.   
  
“I’m so sorry, Master Levi…”  
  
“What the hell are you sorry for?” Levi asked critically and sat down on the bed, letting the boy slump into his lap.   
  
“I uh…” An idea occurred to Eren. _Maybe he was too sound asleep?_ Excitement began to spill into his chest. _Maybe he didn’t notice!_  
  
“Did you have another nightmare?” Levi was glad he’d regained control of his body, tired of the dead weight on his legs. He wasn’t about to call out Eren’s actions. Not yet anyway.

He supposed it had been childlike curiosity, and he couldn’t blame him for that. He supposed he couldn’t blame him for Levi’s own curiosity. He had sensed him nearing in his doze, waiting patiently for the boy to come in. He’d wanted to scare him, frighten him just a little in jest, but when Eren had neared and touched him so gently… he couldn’t help but lie still and keep his breathing steady.

The kiss had taken him by surprise, however, but upon further consideration perhaps he shouldn’t have scared him the way he had… there was no time for that now. Now he had an embarrassed and terrified kid in his arms, nuzzling his hot face into the fabric of Levi’s robes.  
  
“No--”  
  
“Don’t worry about it, come on you can stay here,” it was the first time Levi was so acquiescent. “Are you sleepy or do you want to practice? I have the helmet.”  
  
Eren’s heart tightened. They hadn’t spoken in three days and here he was finally back in Levi’s arms… as if nothing had changed. But why? Why had Levi been avoiding him? He wanted to ask but his eyes grew heavy against the warmth of Levi’s chest, in the safety of Levi’s room.   
  
“I’m sorry, Eren,” Levi muttered into his hair, adjusting him.  
  
“Ferwha’?” Eren asked, letting Levi pull him down onto the bed and wrap him up. 

“... for scaring you,” he rested his chin against the top of his head and listened to him drift off to sleep.

If he were being honest he’d tell him everything. That he blamed himself for Eren getting hurt, that he hadn’t been careful enough. And here he was… bending the rules for him once again.

_Maybe Erwin shouldn’t have given him to me._ Yet he couldn’t imagine that anymore. He supposed he wouldn’t know what to do without the constant stress and worry that surrounded this boy. 

He wouldn’t know what to do without his smile.

* * *

“Levi! Ow!” Eren groaned as he dragged a comb through his hair. “That hurts!” He pouted, looking up at him.

**_Eren,_ ** _Age 16_

**_Levi,_ ** _Age 30_

“Well you asked me to get the tangles out of your hair so here I am, getting the tangles out of your shitting hair, you’re sixteen years old can’t you do a damned thing on your own?” Levi grumbled.  
  
“Well you said-- OUCH!”

“What the hell do you do to tangle your hair so much!”   
  
“It just tangles!” Eren winced. He’d scrubbed himself down clean of the blood from the pirates, but sitting in a lukewarm tub with his master tugging violently at the tangles in his hair had him regretting asking for help.  
  
“Well you’re a fucking slob, Eren,” Levi chided and Eren looked up at him, ocean eyes deep and warm and trusting. “Useless brat,” he let long, damp arms wrap around his neck and pull him down into a kiss. _It’s always like this with him. I can’t help but let him get away with things._ He caught Eren’s head against his shoulder and kissed him deeply, fingers sliding down the damp skin of his chest.

_Am I the reason all this comes to pass?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys thanks for reading and I'm sorry this chapter was out so late! We'll be exploring more into what Levi was up to while Eren was recovering next chapter :)
> 
> tumblr: thingsishouldntbedoing
> 
> tracking: fic: crossroads


	4. Uncontrolled.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren's anger grows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter after this one should be coming fairly quickly. I finally have some good inspiration and direction for this fic. We'll be into more steady ages the next chapter. No more skipping around since Eren's almost fully grown.
> 
> tumblr: thingsishouldntbedoing
> 
> tracking: fic: crossroads

**_Eren,_ ** _Age 12_

**_Levi,_ ** _Age 26_

 

“Are you nervous about tomorrow?” Armin asked as they walked through the dining hall, glancing around for a place to sit.  
  
“No I’m--”

"Eren, come visit me tonight," a slender hand caught the hood of his robe as he passed.

"Huh? I always visit you, Levi," Eren smiled in return, clutching Armin's sleeve to keep him from escaping. "Is this because of my trial?"

"Something like that, just find me tonight," Levi released him. In their pause one of their friends had spotted them, waving them over to the table. 

"I wonder what he's got planned..." Armin mused. "Hey did you know that Master Erwin has apparently asked to be my master? I'm kind of breathless! To think that he'd want to train _me_! And I think someone else so at least I won't be alone..." Armin devolved into chatter about his trials, leaving Eren drowning in information and half lost in thought. Levi had never _asked_ Eren to come to his room before. This felt more purposeful and thought out; Levi wasn't going to rely on Eren to come of his own free will that night.

"--Eren?" A voice broke through his thoughts drawing his attention. "Are you okay?" Mikasa searched his face as they sat down, tilting her head just slightly.  
  
“Oh yeah I’m sorry,” Eren smiled. “I was just thinking…”  
  
“Levi asked him to see him tonight… maybe he’s going to give you some last minute pointers?” Armin asked eagerly.  
  
“Maybe…” Eren chewed his bottom lip. “I just don’t know what to expect is all…”  
  
 _What if he doesn’t want me as his student anymore?_ His stomach churned as he stared down at his lunch, prodding at the miserable excuse for food. _What if I’ve done something wrong?_ He tried to think back. Had he said something to Levi recently?  
  
 _What if this is because I kissed him?_

 

* * *

 

He was still worrying the thoughts around in his head as he scrubbed soap into his hair, staring straight ahead as the boys around him laughed and talked. He knew some of them were beginning their third trial, and that others had already been chosen and were soon to become padawans… and that saddened him somewhat.

  
“Hey Eren! Can we see your scars?” Marco asked, busily spiking up Jean’s undercut with soap as he grouched at a shaven-haired boy named Connie.  
  
“Huh?” Eren was glad for the reprieve. “Oh yeah sure!” He thought he’d seen a knowing look on the dark haired boy’s face for half a second, rinsing the soap from his hair.  
  
“Whoa…” Connie breathed, ignoring Jean’s arguments as he walked over.

Armin eyed them all, scrubbing his hair lazily, he wasn’t about to get involved in this conversation unless he was forced to. He was just pleased that they were pulling Eren from his thoughts.  
  
“Yeah so… these ones were the last ones, Master Levi says that if they had been any deeper my guts would have spilled,” Eren smoothed the soap off his skin to show the pink scars still fresh on his belly.  
  
“Wow that’s amazing,” Marco crooned. “You heal quickly.”  
  
“Thanks, I think?” Eren smiled weakly. “The ones on my face are getting really thin, I think,” he touched his cheek and neck.  
  
“What was it like? Facing the Wampas?” Connie asked, bright eyed.

It was nice to have something to take his mind off his worries, laughing and talking with his friends. Nice when they all devolved into screams and hysteria as soap suds were exchanged and water was thrown in buckets. It was beautiful when their voices rang against the tiled walls, echoes of joy and youth.

And somewhere beneath it all Eren’s skin began to crawl, the faintest feeling of fear creeping back along his scalp. A sensation of longing and loss had settled into the pit of his stomach.

The feeling that all of this might be lost.

 

* * *

 

The fear carried over to that evening, walking down the hallway between scattered students and teachers that paused in the hallway to speak to one another. He caught half glances from the others, setting his eyes straight ahead nervously. _Why would he ask me into his room?_  
  
He was sitting at the low table in his room, leaning over a holograph and flicking lazily through whatever pages he didn’t seem interested in, but his blue eyes lifted when Eren stepped closer-- and his face softened into some semblance of a smile.  
  
“Why do you look so nervous?” He stood and walked over to Eren, placing his hand on top of his head.  
  
“You’ve never called me into your room before so I thought…” Eren shoved himself into Levi’s navel, wrapping his arms around his waist. “Please still let me be your student!”  
  
“What?”  
  
“I’m sorry for whatever I said! I’m so sorry Master!” He buried his face in his chest and trembled there, confusing the Jedi he clung to.  
  
“You didn’t… what’s happening?” Levi tangled his fingers into his hair and pulled his face back. “Eren?”  
  
“I just… why did you call me in? I… I’ve been so scared that…”  
  
The look of realization that crossed Levi’s face left his future padawan breathless, those blue eyes widening in shock and softening into kindness. He knelt down and all Eren could do was try not to cry.  
  
“Don’t be scared,” Levi told him softly. “I just wanted to see how you were doing.”  
  
“What?”  
  
“I just… I thought you might spend the evening with your friends tonight and so I wanted you to stop by, is all,” Levi caught his face in his hands. “You scared yourself for no reason, there’s no reason to worry.”  
  
“You’ve never asked me to come visit you,” Eren sniffled, wiping his face on his sleeve and earned a chuckle that rumbled deep in Levi’s chest.  
  
“I’m sorry,” he chuckled again, sitting back on his haunches. “I wanted to give you a present, will that help soothe your nerves?”  
  
“A present!?” His ocean eyes lit up and warmth spilled into Levi’s chest. “What kind of present?”  
  
“I looked long and hard for this so don’t lose it okay?” Levi produced a small leather bag from his pocket.  
  
“What is it?” Eren breathed, running his fingers over the pouch without taking it.  
  
“It’s called a Kunda stone,” he replied and spilled the pale blue stone into Eren’s hand. “It’s a focusing crystal for your saber.”  
  
“I’ve heard of these!” He breathed, rolling it over in his palm. “Is this… really for me?”  
  
“Of course, would I lie to you?” Levi watched him with soft eyes, almost smiling at the way the boy stroked the stone with reverence, searching for words to say.  
  
“Thank you!” He was expecting the hug this time, accepting the twelve year old into his arms and holding his small frame tightly. “Thank you so much!” Eren pressed his face into Levi’s neck, holding the stone tightly in his palm.

 

* * *

 

**_Eren,_ ** _Age 13_

**_Levi,_ ** _Age 27_

 

Armin shuffled papers between his hands, sitting primly beside his master. He liked sitting in and listening to the conversations of other Jedis and being privy to ideas only his master had. He more than enjoyed having the ear of one of the most notorious Jedi Masters that had ever lived.  
  
“Armin you don’t have to sit here and listen to old fuddy-duddies speak you know?” Erwin chuckled.  
  
“You were discussing politics, I was interested to hear your opinions,” Armin smiled in reply. “Is that alright?”  
  
“Of course,” Armin liked the way his master’s blue eyes glittered knowingly. Yes, this was a position he enjoyed.

“Master!” Eren’s voice rang in their ears and Levi straightened up in his seat, Armin’s head whipping towards the door.  
  
“Your padawan is always overeager,” Erwin smiled vaguely but took note of Levi’s furrowed brows. “What’s wrong?”  
  
“Something’s wrong…” Levi rose sharply.  
  
“Master Levi!” He shoved the door to the office open, robes fluttering.  
  
“Eren calm down,” he reached out to grab Eren’s shoulder. “What’s happening?”  
  
“They’re gone!” His ocean eyes were a soft green now, darker than the bright blue he was so used to, face contorted in agony.  
  
“What?” Armin’s voice was the next to join the fray. “What do you mean?”  
  
“I don’t know! I don’t know!” He couldn’t stop saying it, even as Levi led him over and pushed him into a seat. He buried his face in his hands, the single braided strand hanging from his messy, short hair slipping down and over his shoulder; a sign of his status as a padawan.  
  
“Eren you have to calm down,” Levi caught his shoulders, falling to his knees before him. “What’s happening?”  
  
“Eren?” The door swung open again and Erwin blinked as Mikasa searched them all, eyes falling on Eren’s hunched form. “I saw the holovid!”  
  
“What?” Erwin frowned and glanced to his padawan.  
  
“Do you have the chip?” Armin asked, walking towards her. His face was drawn tight, fear blatant in his bright eyes.  
  
“He left before it finished,” she murmured. “I was… just studying with him and…”  
  
“Don’t explain,” Levi let Eren bury his face in his chest. “Just tell me what’s happening.”  
  
“It’s his parents…” Mikasa whispered. “Their ship was destroyed.”  
  
Erwin and Levi exchanged glances as Eren’s hands gripped Levi’s arms in a vice-like grip. For a moment not a single heartbeat passed between them, for a moment Armin couldn’t breathe…

“What?”  
  
By who wasn’t a question. Not for Armin. Not for Levi. Not for Erwin. 

It had only been a matter of _when._  
  
“I’ll kill them,” a voice growled from Levi’s sternum, arms shaking under the bruising force of Eren’s grip.  
  
“Eren stop,” fear spilled into Levi’s heart as the face that looked up at him was one from his nightmares. A face filled with darkness, with anger and hatred that burned so bright Levi thought he might be scorched. “Get a hold of yourself.”  
  
“I’ll kill them _all_ ,” he growled.  
  
“Who? You don’t even know!” Armin interrupted.  
  
“The _Sith_ ,” the sound of his his sent shivers down Levi’s spine and he glanced up at Erwin. Concern had spilled into his former Master’s face, fear toying at the edges of his frown.

How could Eren have known?

 

* * *

 

“How is he?” Erwin asked as Levi stepped out of the room, letting the door slide shut behind him.  
  
“He’s calmed down,” Levi said, eyes pained.

“I don’t know what to do, Levi… his anger…”  
  
“Can be controlled. I can help him,” Levi asserted. “I can teach him to control himself.”  
  
“Are you sure?” Erwin caught Levi’s wrist and pushed the sleeves of his robes up, exposing the dark bruises on his arms. “You think a Jedi would do _this?_ ”  
  
“He’s a padawan. A child.”  
  
“And his anger is already strong.”  
  
“What do you want me to do, Erwin!?” Levi jerked away from him, gripping his shoulder. “What the hell do you want me to do? Set him loose? Let him go with all that anger in him and his power to control the Force? This was your idea! You wanted to bring him here!”  
  
Erwin’s gaze darkened and he leaned against a pillar, covering his face with his hand, “It’s dangerous.”  
  
“You think I don’t know that?”  
  
“What if he gets out of control? What will you do?”  
  
“I’ll kill him,” Levi came to the only logical answer at the same time as he said it, heart aching.  
  
“What?” Erwin’s voice was more than surprised, and that was rare in itself.  
  
“If he gets out of control… I’ll have to kill him,” he pressed his palm to Eren’s door. “He won’t be bound by laws or regulations. He never has been. He’s a monster, a monster with power he can’t fathom yet.”  
  
“Do I hear admiration in your voice?”  
  
“I’ve been bound for so long. I can only imagine what it must be like to break free,” Levi murmured, resting his forehead against the cold metal.

“If he loses control I’ll kill him,” Levi said once more, a note of finality against the rise of a power no other could control. _But I have to think of another way._  

The thought of killing his padawan broke his soul. The thought of killing his padawan went against everything he stood for.

_I have to find another way._

 

* * *

 

How did they get here?

Levi wasn’t sure.

 

**_Eren,_ ** _Age 18_

**_Levi,_ ** _Age 32_

“Eren! Please!” He reached for him, cloaks flapping in the vicious wind as the starship soared close to the ground. “Padawan!”  
  
“Don’t call me that,” the sound of disgust in Eren’s voice broke his heart. “I never should have been your student.”  
  
“Eren!” He pressed his hand to the wound in his side, feeling blood sliding out between his fingers. _If it was any deeper…_ “You don’t have to do this! It isn’t right! This isn’t you!”  
  
“Shut up! What do you know about me?” He took another step towards the loading bay door, hanging by its hinges. “What can you… ever understand…?”  
  
“Padawan!” He choked on the word, fingers grazing the dark cloaks before him. “Please--” he cried out as the Jedi before him turned, once beautiful green eyes _golden_ and flowing with power.  
  
“You won’t kill me.”

_How did it come to this?_


End file.
